Cup shaped container

ABSTRACT

The present invention aims to provide a cup shaped container that can be squashed by hand so as to become compact when disposing after use. For this purpose, the cup shaped container includes a skeletal member made from synthetic resin material and having a ring-like part at the upper end, a shallow saucer-like bottom part at the lower end, and columnar parts for connecting the ring-like part and the bottom part, and a blank sheet attached to the skeletal member so as to wrap the periphery between the ring-like part at the upper end and the bottom part at the lower end of the skeletal member. Each columnar part has, on its inner surface, a convexo-concave part formed at an equally spaced pitch at the central part in the up and down direction of the columnar part.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cup shaped container for storing beverage liquids such as juice, confectioneries and industrial materials.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, as cups shaped container of this type, the cup disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 9-207936 is known. That is, the cup shaped container in which a blank sheet is wrapped around and attached to a skeletal member made from a synthetic resin is known. A skeletal member used in a cup shaped container disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 9-207936 includes a bottom part, an upper edge part, and columnar parts for connecting the bottom part and the upper edge part, and the cup shaped container is configured by wrapping the blank sheet around the skeletal member.

The skeletal member used in the cup shaped container disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 9-207936 includes the bottom part, the upper edge part, and the columnar parts for connecting the bottom part and the upper edge part, and the cup shaped container formed by wrapping the blank sheet around the skeletal member is disposed in its original shape after use.

In other words, the columnar parts of the skeletal member used in the cup shaped container are formed so as to have the same thickness throughout, and thus the cup shaped container cannot be compressed in the up and down direction by hand, and must be thrown away in its full dimension state.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above problem, the present invention has an object to provide a cup shaped container that can be squashed by hand so as to become compact when disposing after use.

Provided for achieving the object of the present invention is a cup shaped container characterized as follows.

1. A cup shaped container comprises: a skeletal member made from a synthetic resin and including a ring-like part at an upper end, a shallow saucer-like bottom part at a lower end, and a columnar part for connecting the ring-like part and the bottom part, the columnar part having a convexo-concave part on an inner surface thereof, the convexo-concave part having convexes and concaves being formed at an equally spaced pitch at a central part in an up and down direction of the columnar part; and a blank sheet attached to the skeletal member so as to wrap a periphery of the skeleton member between the ring-like part at the upper end and the bottom part at the lower end.

2. A cup shaped container comprises: a skeletal member made from a synthetic resin and including a ring-like part. at an upper end, a shallow saucer-like bottom part at a lower end, and a columnar part for connecting the ring-like part and the bottom part; and a blank sheet attached to the skeletal member so as to wrap the periphery of the skeleton member between the ring-like part at the upper end and the bottom part at the lower end, wherein the columnar part has a depression having a narrow width formed at a middle thereof as viewed from the front.

3. The cup shaped container of the above-mentioned 1 or 2, wherein a joint surface of the blank sheet attaching the skeletal member is made from a synthetic resin material of the same type same as the skeletal member.

According to the above-mentioned configurations 1 to 3, when disposing the cup shaped container, left and right columnar parts of the skeletal member are bent inward at the middle, due to the presence of the convexo-concave part at the central part or the part having a narrow width in its middle, by applying a force in a direction of compressing the cup shaped container from above and below, thereby squashing the cup shaped container covered with the blank sheet to become compact.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a skeletal member of a cup shaped container according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the skeletal member;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a blank sheet to be attached to the skeletal member;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cup shaped container formed by attaching the blank sheet to the skeletal member;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the cup shaped container formed by attaching the blank sheet to the skeletal member;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cup shaped container is squashed;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a skeletal member of a cup shaped container according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a cup shaped container formed by attaching a blank sheet to the skeletal member;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cup shaped container is squashed;

FIG. 10 is a development view showing a modified blank sheet according to a third embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of a skeletal member according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 to FIG. 6 show the first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1 to FIG. 6, reference character 1 refers to a skeletal member including a circular ring-like part 2 at the upper end, a shallow saucer-like circular bottom part 3 at the lower end, and left and right columnar parts 4 for connecting the ring-like part 2 and the bottom part 3. The skeletal member 1 has convexo-concave parts 5 formed on the inner surface of each columnar part 4. Each convexo-concave part is formed at an equally spaced pitch, more specifically at a few mm pitch, in the up and down direction over a length range of about a few cm at the central part of each columnar part. The skeletal member 1 is made from a synthetic resin material such as polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, polyester and the like, and can be molded to a desired hardness by changing the thickness depending on the material used.

Reference character 6 refers to a flexible blank sheet that is attached to the skeletal member 1 so as to wrap a periphery of the skeletal member 1. The entire blank sheet 6 may be made from a synthetic resin material of the same type as the material configuring the skeletal member 1, or may have at least an inner surface thereof made from the synthetic resin material of the same type same as the material of the skeletal member 1. The blank sheet 6 includes a circular sheet portion 6 a that matches a shape of a back surface of the bottom part 3 of the skeletal member 1, and sheet portions 6 c, 6 c that are connected to both sides of the sheet portion 6 a through connecting parts 6 b, 6 b having a narrow width and that have a shape similar to a fan for covering an opening defined by the ring-like part 2, the bottom part 3 and the left and right columnar parts 4 of the skeletal member 1. The sheet portion 6 a of the blank sheet 6 is attached to the back surface of the bottom part 3 of the skeletal member 1 by means of heat-sealing, and the periphery, more specifically the lower end of each of the sheet portions 6 c, 6 c is attached to an outer surface of a raised part 3 a around the periphery of the bottom part 3, and the upper end is attached to the outer surface of the lower end around the periphery of the ring-like part 2. And the both sides are attached to the outer surface of the left and right columnar parts 4 by means of heat-sealing. Thus, an opening is covered that is defined by the ring-like part 2, the bottom part 3 and the left and right columnar parts 4, as if to wrap the periphery of the skeletal member 1. The cup shaped container 7 is thereby formed.

In molding the cup shaped container 7, a metal die including a core and a cavity is used. The core is fitted into the cavity with the sheet portion 6 a of the blank sheet 6 contacting and suctioning the distal end of the core, and then a resin is poured into a space between the core and the cavity to mold the cup shaped container 7 by heat-sealing the blank sheet 6 to the skeletal member 1, as mentioned above.

It is to be noted that beverage liquids such as juice, or confectioneries and the like are stored in the cup shaped container 7, and in such a state, a lid body is attached to the upper end of the ring-like part 2 of the skeletal member 1 in such a fashion that the lid body can be freely separated by using fingers.

Further, a barrier property may be given to the cup shaped container 7, depending on the content stored in the cup shaped container 7.

The cup shaped container 7 shown in the figures has been explained, and a port may be integrally formed at one part of the periphery of the ring-like part 2 to take out beverage liquid from the cup shaped container 7 without separating the lid body.

In the above configuration, when disposing an unwanted cup shaped container 7 after the content has been taken out of the cup shaped container 7, a force is applied in a direction of compressing the cup shaped container 7 from above and below, so that the left and right columnar parts 4 of the skeletal member 1 are bent inward at the middle due to the presence of convexo-concave parts 5 at the central parts of the columnar parts, thereby squashing the cup shaped container 7 covered with the blank sheet 6 to become compact.

FIG. 7 to FIG. 9 show a second embodiment of the present invention.

The convexo-concave part 5 is formed at the central part of the left and right columnar parts 4 of the skeletal member 1 to allow the unwanted cup shaped container 7 to be squashed when disposing it in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 9, depressions 8 having a narrow width are formed at the middle and at both upper and lower ends of the central part, as each columnar part 4 is viewed from the front. In this case, the columnar parts 4 are bent inward at the positions of the depressions 8 having a narrow width, more specifically at the positions of the depressions 8 of which middle width is narrow, by applying a force in a direction of compressing the cup shaped container 7, thereby squashing the cup shaped container 7 so as to become compact. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. It is to be noted that when the configuration in which the depressions 8 are formed at the columnar parts 4 as in the second embodiment and the configuration in which the convexo-concave part 5 is formed at the columnar part 4 as in the first embodiment are combined, the task of squashing the cup shaped container 7 to become compact is further easily carried out.

In the above two embodiments, the circular sheet portion 6 a of the blank sheet 6 is attached to the back surface of the bottom part 3 of the skeletal member 1 by means of heat-sealing, but the circular sheet portion 6 a may be attached to an upper surface of the bottom part 3 of the skeletal member 1. In this case, the blank sheet 6 is made from a synthetic resin material of the same type as the material of the skeletal member 1, or at least the inner surface and the outer surface thereof are made from a synthetic resin material of the same type as the material of the skeletal member 1. That is, only the surface of the blank sheet 6 attaching the skeletal member 1 needs be made from the synthetic resin material of the same type as the skeletal member 1. The material of the blank sheet 6 may also be paper.

FIG. 10 shows a third embodiment of the present invention showing a modification of a blank sheet 6.

The blank sheet 6 in the first and second embodiments includes the circular sheet portion 6 a that matches the shape of the back surface of the bottom part 3 of the skeletal member 1, and sheet portions 6 c, 6 c that are connected to both sides of the sheet portion 6 a through the connecting parts 6 b, 6 b each having a narrow width and that have a shape similar to a fan for covering the opening defined by the ring-like part 2, the bottom part 3 and the left and right columnar parts 4 of the skeletal member 1. In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the circular sheet portion that matches the shape of the bottom part 3 of the skeletal member 1 may be omitted, and one blank sheet 6A for wrapping the entire periphery between the ring-like part 2 and the bottom part 3 at the lower end of the skeletal member 1 may be used.

FIG. 11 shows a fourth embodiment showing a modification of a skeletal member 1.

In the left and right columnar parts 4 which are for connecting the ring-like part 2 and the bottom part 3, and formed with the convexo-concave part 5 at every equal distance pitch at the central part in the up and down direction as in the first embodiment, a convex part 5 a of one of the columnar part 4 and a convex part 5 a of the other columnar part 4 respectively positioned at the same height may be integrally connected for reinforcement with an elongate connecting part 5 b that forms a circular arc shape along the inner periphery of the cup shaped container, as in the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 11. In the embodiment shown in the figure, the convex parts 5 a positioned at the upper and lower ends and at the middle of the convexo-concave part 5 formed at the central part in the up and down direction of the columnar part 4 are integrally connected with the connecting part 5 b, but all the convex parts 5 a may be connected with the connecting part 5 b. Further, as in the embodiment shown in the figure, the positions of the left and right columnar parts 4 where the convexo-concave part 5 do not exist, that is, the upper sides and the lower sides of the convexo-concave parts 5 may respectively be integrally connected with a plate shaped connecting part 5 c that forms a circular arc shape between the columnar parts 4 for reinforcement.

The shape of the bottom surface of the cup shaped container 7 formed with the skeletal member 1 as the frame may not necessarily be a planar and circular shape as in the embodiment shown in the figures, and may be a polygon such as a quadrilateral or a hexagon, or an ellipse.

The number of columnar part 4 is not limited to two. 

1. A cup shaped container comprising: a skeletal member made from a synthetic resin and including a ring-like part at an upper end, a shallow saucer-like bottom part at a lower end, and a columnar part for connecting the ring-like part and the bottom part, the columnar part having a convexo-concave part on an inner surface thereof, the convexo-concave part having convexes and concaves being formed at an equally spaced pitch at a central part in an up and down direction of the columnar part; and a blank sheet attached to the skeletal member so as to wrap a periphery of the skeletal member between the ring-like part at the upper end and the bottom part at the lower end.
 2. The cup shaped container as claimed in claim 1, wherein a joint surface of the blank sheet attaching to the skeletal member is made from a synthetic resin material of a same type as the skeletal member.
 3. A cup shaped container comprising: a skeletal member made from a synthetic resin and including a ring-like part at an upper end, a shallow saucer-like bottom part at a lower end, and a columnar part for connecting the ring-like part and the bottom part; and a blank sheet attached to the skeletal member so as to wrap a periphery of the skeletal member between the ring-like part at the upper end and the bottom part at the lower end, wherein the columnar part has a depression having a narrow width formed at a middle thereof as viewed from front.
 4. The cup shaped container as claimed in claim 3, wherein a joint surface of the blank sheet attaching to the skeletal member is made from a synthetic resin material of a same type as the skeletal member. 